Flybe doubles flights between Newquay and Gatwick
Flybe is to double the number of weekday flights available between Newquay and Gatwick to ensure Cornwall stays linked to London following the severing of a train line at Dawlish in Devon last Wednesday.
The airline has adjusted its flying programme to free up one of its 118-seat Embraer 195 aircraft and re-scheduled crews to operate the additional flights between Gatwick and Newquay from Wednesday.
The extra three daily flights, providing an extra 4,500 seats, will be available for an initial two week period while demand for the new schedule is assessed.
Fares start at £36.99 one way.
Flybe chief commercial Oofficer Paul Simmons said: Flybe fully appreciates the enormous economic cost to the region of losing its rail services, an untenable situation that looks likely to impact the region severely for at least six weeks and possibly even longer.
"Flybe’s regional model means that, at this time of travel crisis which is placing huge pressure on the West Country’s industry and commerce sectors and on leisure and business travel, we are well placed to be able to step in quickly and provide a fast and convenient travel solution.
"We also commit to maintaining our normal pricing mechanism. We have no wish to take advantage of this very difficult situation by inflating fares and can assure our customers that our fares’ policy will be managed in exactly the same way as always."
Chris Pomfret, chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "This additional capacity from Newquay to Gatwick is very good news and will be warmly welcomed by the business community given the current state of the railway line at Dawlish. But it is only a short-term measure which is why we will continue to lobby Ministers hard for substantive investment in the region’s road and railway infrastructure and for a Public Service Obligation to safeguard our London hub airlinks in the longer term
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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